Deng Xiaoping

Deng Xiaoping, Wade-Giles romanization Teng Hsiao-p’ing (born August 22, 1904, Guang’an, Sichuan province, China—died February 19, 1997, Beijing) Chinese communist leader, who was the most powerful figure in the People’s Republic of China from the late 1970s until his death in 1997. He abandoned many orthodox communist doctrines and attempted to incorporate elements of the free-enterprise system and other reforms into the Chinese economy.